Prism
by deathwraith
Summary: Chapter 5 - Trust? yaoi, semi AU, only four pilots, DS no pilot yet. The four G boys investigate an OZ research lab and find a
1. Chapter 1

semi AU  
  
will be 1x2/2x1, some 3x4, citrus in later chapters  
  
Warning: If you don't like yaoi, don't read, no one is twisting your arm and you won't change my mind.  
  
Takes place AC 195, only four gundams are being used, Deathscythe is unpiloted as it has been deemed unmanageable after killing two pilots and making three more insane. It is semi-AI (ZERO prototype).  
  
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing belongs to Sunrise, Shotsu Agency, Bandai, and other corporations, and has been used without permission, purely for entertainment purposes. Come on, they're meant to be played with just like the little toy Gundam models that I have!  
  
  
  
CHAPTER ONE  
  
The mission seemed simple enough on the surface - OZ had a research facility, find out about the project, blow up the complex. Easy enough for our four gundams to accomplish, right? I thought so, but made sure my mission plan had room for last minute changes.never expected this, however.  
  
We made it passed security (lax anyway) without much trouble, the odd bit of fire-fighting and some hand-to-hand with two would-be heroes. Nothing the Perfect Soldier couldn't handle.  
  
Trowa and Wufei stood guard at the door of the lab while Quatre and I made our way inside to where we could see a small group of white-coated technicians bunched around an array of cone-shaped projections near the rear wall of the room. There was a transparent violet glow beginning to manifest at the centre of the array. I burst through and shot briefly at each of the figures, making sure to leave one of them alive for questioning later.  
  
Just then the violet light grew opaque and quite large. The wounded technician tried to stand up and make his way toward what appeared to be a control panel, but I paralyzed his legs with a quick kick. As he fell, his arm hit something on the board. A loud "popping" sound followed and the strange light disappeared. On the floor was a figure bathed in a cyan glow - it seemed human shaped, but it was difficult to tell as the color was searing to my eyes. It struggled to stand then toppled over, striking the technician I had immobilized. The man screamed as a purple light seemed to zip from his fingers to the cyan figure, then the glow lessened until we could see that the strange figure from the array was really a human. A very wet andnaked human, with extraordinary long hair.  
  
Quatre rushed over to the fallen technician, put a quick hand to the wrist then shook his head.  
  
"Dead, Heero." He slowly walked over to the naked form who was attempting to rise in a shaky manner.  
  
I left him to it, and scooted to the control panel to see if I could find any information about the research project. Scanning quickly over the computer screen, I began hacking into the current program and came up with "Project Prism" . I transferred all the data I could find to a disk that I brought with me specifically for that purpose and then turned to motion Trowa and Wufei inside.  
  
Both pilots entered hesitantly, then Quatre beckoned them over.  
  
"Give me a hand with him," he said softly, "I don't think he is doing well."  
  
Him???  
  
And he wasn't. I could see slim shoulders shaking violently over clenched arms  
  
wrapped around his doubled-over form.  
  
"I'm not surprised," I stated flatly. "Get something on him, he's coming with us."  
  
Three pairs of eyes stared at me. I grunted. I hate giving explanations.  
  
"The project involved searching alternate realities for possible weapon ideas or the  
  
weapons themselves. He may have information we need on this. We need to investigate  
  
this more."  
  
The figure chose that moment to let out a low moan of pain then collapsed. That seemed to galvanize Quatre, the more compassionate one of us, into action. He quickly stripped off the lab coat from one of the dead technicians and wrapped the naked youth in it. Wufei and Trowa headed toward the lab door, taking point without having to be told. Sometimes I really think we do make it as a team, not that I'll ever admit it.  
  
I scooped up the stranger and we headed out the complex to our Gundams. Jumping up to Wing's already lowered arm, I punched in the code and dropped my bundle carefully into the cramped cockpit. Then powered up my gundam and together with the Shenlong Altron, we torched the complex until nothing remained but ashes. 


	2. Chapter 2

semi AU  
  
will be 1x2/2x1, some 3x4, citrus in later chapters  
  
Warning: If you don't like yaoi, don't read, no one is twisting your arm and you won't change my mind.  
  
Takes place AC 195, only four gundams are being used, Deathscythe is unpiloted as it has been deemed unmanageable after killing two pilots and making three more insane. It is semi-AI (ZERO prototype).  
  
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing belongs to Sunrise, Shotsu Agency, Bandai, and other corporations, and has been used without permission, purely for entertainment purposes. Come on, they're meant to be played with just like the little toy Gundam models that I have!  
  
  
  
CHAPTER TWO  
  
(later)  
  
"Did you see his back?" Quatre asked me quietly.  
  
I nodded. I wasn't sure if I could trust myself to say anything. We had put the stranger in the bed next to mine, dried him off and dressed him in a clean t-shirt and sport shorts. It was during this that we noticed the marks on his back. He had been whipped pretty badly. The scars were a series of many raised criss-crossed red welts, with small gouges at each end, meaning the whip used had metal tips. There were other signs of torture as well. Not by OZ we thought, but brutal nonetheless. It didn't help that he lay there with the serene face of an angel, brilliant chestnut hair now dry and spread about him. He was still unconscious. I elected to stay with him and work on my laptop until there were some signs of life.  
  
Let's see, a little transfer here, some more money over there...hmmm report of pay increase for the Specials...I can do something with that. A few minutes later and the pay raise was now restricted to senior officers and the other ranks received a pay cut. Nothing like a little monetary disparity to sow dissention in the ranks of OZ! I was busy scanning for more reports when there was a light tap on my shoulder.  
  
I was off the chair and had my gun pointed squarely between a pair of blue- violet eyes before they could blink. The stranger. He was awake, obviously, and stood calmly looking directly into my eyes. Then he slowly looked down at the gun, back up again and a small grin began to move across his lips. In the back of my mind I was trying to process how he had moved so quietly from the bed to my desk without my hearing or even sensing him.  
  
"A weapon?" he asked in a low quiet voice.  
  
"You speak English!" was my retort.  
  
"Noooo", he said slowly, "Not really. When that man touched me, something.. I have some of his memories. All mixed up. Some understanding of words, but hard to transfer - no - translate from mine to yours. Fast to think, harder to say." Another sheepish grin..  
  
I returned the gun to its holster behind the back of my tanktop. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Then looked down again.  
  
"Um. I need.I have to ..where is...damn! Pee?"  
  
"Come".  
  
I headed toward the bathroom, the other youth a silent shadow behind me. Opening the narrow door, I pointed to the toilet. "There".  
  
He looked at the white porcelain then shrugged.  
  
Right, different reality different bathrooms. I lifted the lid then pointed to the water below. "In there." God, I hoped I wouldn't have to show him! I turned my back to give him some privacy. When he had completed his task, I reached over and flushed.  
  
He jumped back like a startled deer, eyes wide as saucers. Then he hissed, "Sorcery!!"  
  
"No, " I commented, "Science. Wash your hands."  
  
I turned the tap on over the sink, shot a few squirts of soap from the container at the side and then demonstrated what to do. I added, "There is no sorcery or magic here, in this world."  
  
He gave me a long look out of the corner of his eyes without turning his head. Then he carefully washed his hands, pausing to give close examination to the plastic soap dispenser. He held it up to the light, squeezed the bottle gently a few times and then asked in a puzzled voice, "Glass?"  
  
"No. Plastic. Different material. Man-made, not natural."  
  
"Oh." Silence for a few seconds, then, "No sorcery? Here, I mean. You are sure?"  
  
I looked at him. "Yes. No magic, just science."  
  
"How did I come to be here, then?"  
  
Oh boy.  
  
This was going to be fun I could just tell. So I did what I do best. I gave a Hn and then herded him out the door to pawn him off on the others. We made about three steps in the direction of the stairs when he stopped suddenly and spun around, hair flying everywhere. He ran back to the bathroom and stared into the mirror. Then raising his hands, he gathered his hair with flying fingers to form a braid. One about a good three feet in length. He eyed the end he held and then looked at me.  
  
"Something to . tie.this?" he asked.  
  
I glared briefly then ducked into Wufei's room, snatched an elastic band off of his dresser, then snapped it on the end of the braid. With a firm shove, I directed him to the stairs and we headed down. 


	3. Chapter 3

semi AU  
  
will be 1x2/2x1, some 3x4, citrus in later chapters  
  
Warning: If you don't like yaoi, don't read, no one is twisting your arm and you won't change my mind.  
  
Takes place AC 195, only four gundams are being used, Deathscythe is unpiloted as it has been deemed unmanageable after killing two pilots and making three more insane. It is semi-AI (ZERO prototype).  
  
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing belongs to Sunrise, Shotsu Agency, Bandai, and other corporations, and has been used without permission, purely for entertainment purposes. Come on, they're meant to be played with just like the little toy Gundam models that I have!  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------  
  
  
  
CHAPTER THREE.  
  
The other three pilots were in the kitchen starting dinner when we arrived. Quatre immediately smiled and headed over to us.  
  
"You're awake! I'm Quatre Rebabera Winner," he said holding out his hand in introduction.  
  
My companion smiled back and said, "I'm..hmmm..how do I say this in your language.twin, no, pair, no that's not right either. One would be Solo, two would be..?" he asked, running a frustrated hand quickly through his bangs.  
  
"Duo," I supplied.  
  
"Duo! Yes, that's me, Duo!"  
  
The others introduced themselves.  
  
"Heero," I said, then added, "He wants to know how he got here - without the use of magic or sorcery."  
  
That brought some surprised looks. After what seemed like ages but in reality was only a few minutes, we were able to convince Duo that our world had no magic whatsoever and that his being here was a result of an experiment using science and technology. He also knew that we had destroyed the only way he had of returning to his own world. Somehow that didn't seem to affect him as much as I would have expected.  
  
We began eating a rather ordinary dinner since it was Wufei's turn to cook and he sticks to strictly utilitarian type food. The meal was ordinary, the manner Duo ate was decidedly not. The only way I could describe it was comparing it to someone who feared they wouldn't eat again in a long time and might even have what was in front of them taken away. Not that he was sloppy or gluttonous, just totally focused on eating as much as possible in as little time. I looked over his slim frame and couldn't figure out where he was putting it all. By the time he had finished his third helping of frozen cake and fourth glass of milk, he finally leaned back as if he had enough and appeared thoughtful.  
  
"So what now, with me, I mean?"  
  
"We will lay low for a while. You'll stay here for the short term. We can't have you acting strange in public, that may draw the attention of OZ to you and then to us," I explained.  
  
"OZ, that would be your enemy, right? You act like soldiers. Are you?"  
  
Hmm, so he figured out what we were. That was an unexpected development. I needed to know just how much of a risk this guy was.  
  
"What makes you say that?"  
  
Good going Wufei. Keep him on his toes with questions from several sides.  
  
Duo shrugged. "They way you work together, your body movements, eyes never still, wariness, caution. The fact that Trowa has knives hidden in several places on his body, same with Wufei. Heero has a weapon under his shirt, that sort of thing."  
  
Shit, I forgot about pulling the gun on him.  
  
"We could be criminals," commented Trowa dryly.  
  
"Yeah, and criminals go through the bother of destroying a whole series of buildings and only coming back with one thing - me. Not that I don't think I'm not valuable or anything!" The last said with a cheeky smirk.  
  
"We are soldiers," Quatre supplied earnestly. "We are fighting an organization - OZ - which is trying to control our world, Earth, and all the space colonies. They've declared war on us. We fight for the colonies, and to keep Earth free as well."  
  
  
  
Duo seemed to think about this. I could see on his expressive face that he had more questions to ask, but was either unsure of the words to use, or whether he should even ask or not. I decided it was time to know more about him and what kind of information transfer he may have had with that technician who died. After all, that was the only reason I made sure to bring him with us. Naked.  
  
I firmly pushed that last thought down and asked, "Tell us about you. You know we are soldiers, what are you?"  
  
Duo shot a quick glance at me and then calmly stated, "I'm an assassin."  
  
We must have looked somewhat unbelieving, because he quickly asserted that he was.  
  
"I'm a professional assassin. Trained by the assassin's guild. And I don't lie. Ever! I may run and I may hide, but I never lie."  
  
He crossed his arms defiantly over his chest, almost daring us to argue with him.  
  
"Which weapons are you trained to use?" Trowa again. Takes one to know one, and I was as interested in the answer as the normally quiet Heavyarms pilot was.  
  
A quick shrug.  
  
"Everything, anything, whatever is at hand and available as well as the usual sort - you know, sharp slicey blades and pointy things, parts of the body, poisons, garrotes, exploding devices, cloth, clothing, water, fire."  
  
"We get the picture," said Quatre, looking a little ill.  
  
"How many people have you killed." This one from Wufei, another good question.  
  
We'd get an idea of how good he was at his "job".  
  
At this, Duo's easy going manner faded and he asked in a level voice, "Directly or for whose deaths I take responsibility?"  
  
"Either one."  
  
"One thousand two hundred and thirty seven."  
  
"You count them?" Wufei sounded shocked.  
  
"No, I * remember * them!" came the hissed reply.  
  
We did not say very much for a while. 


	4. Chapter 4 - Duo's story

**__**

semi AU

will be 1x2/2x1, some 3x4, citrus in later chapters

Warning: If you don't like yaoi, don't read, no one is twisting your arm and you won't change my mind.

**__**

Takes place AC 195, only four gundams are being used, Deathscythe is unpiloted as it has been deemed unmanageable after killing two pilots and making three more insane. It is semi-AI (ZERO prototype).

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing belongs to Sunrise, Shotsu Agency, Bandai, and other corporations, and has been used without permission, purely for entertainment purposes. Come on, they're meant to be played with just like the little toy Gundam models that I have!

****

Author's notes: Big thanks to kcgal and Zelda for their persistence in posting and reposting (and even re-reposting) their reviews! Gave me enough of a boost to get this chapter out now instead of waiting for Christmas break when I had planned to write. Damn, those things are addictive (the reviews), well that and the coffee, too.

****

CHAPTER FOUR – Duo's Story

I put the whole technician-info transfer idea off for a later time and reflected on Duo's body count as I helped Wufei with the dishes. 

"We need to find out more about him," the Chinese pilot mumbled under his breath.

"Do you think he meant directly or responsible for?" I asked quietly. The others were all in the living room next door watching the evening news on TV in an attempt to give our strange guest an idea of what kind of world he had dropped into.

"I'll be conservative on this one and say ....responsible for".

Even still, that was an awfully high number. I was trained as an assassin by Odin Lowe himself. One of the best, and I doubt that even he reached that number in his life-time. Duo looked to be around our age. Wait - he had an obvious aversion to magic or sorcery. Perhaps the explanation lay in that direction. We finished up and joined the others.

I lowered myself into "my" armchair – I tend to be territorial or possessive by nature – and took a good long look at the youth draped around one arm of the couch across from me. Duo's posture (or lack thereof) reminded me of a panther lounging on a tree limb. Relaxed, but poised for movement, a predator. 

I examined that thought carefully. Was it because of what he said regarding his profession, or did his body language alone actually convey that kind of message? Hnn. Eyes were glued to the TV – no wait – he would do a quick sweep of the room – there! Almost missed it. Damn, he was good. If I wasn't watching for the eye movement I wouldn't have noticed how he disguised it by a slow lowering of his lashing in a long-seeming blink. Hmpf! He could probably get away with anything with lashes that long. I don't think I've seen any of the hunting cat family with eyes that unusual colour either. Nor any human.

Fuck! Heero no baka, ever thought that Duo might NOT be human? This needed to be addressed, **now**!

"Quatre, shut the TV," I ordered. He took a quick look at my expression and complied readily.

Hn. He runs, he hides, he never lies – I can do this short and sweet. Like 20 questions. He may have some trouble with our language but I had the impression he could use that and play with it – for time, or to stall or disseminate. I wasn't sure. Just a gut feeling.

"We need more information. About you. Your world." I began, glaring directly at our problem.

He looked thoughtful. "How do I describe.....no machines...or science as you have here," he said looking around the room and gesturing to the TV and stereo. "People are born into different classes. If you're not nobility, then you belong to a guild. Those are mostly passed down in families, but there is some room for movement. Like if you show a special talent."

"What about magic," I interrupted – I was looking for short answers here, not long-winded explanations.

"Um, yeah. If someone shows an ability in magic then they are taken by the mages or sorcerers. They aren't a guild, though. More like a ....shit, I can't find a word for it. They like "possess" you – keep you, body and soul. You never leave their .....group, family. And you always answer to your master – usually a high ranking Lord or something like that." He sounded distasteful of the whole thing.

"You don't like sorcerers?" Quatre asked, he looked intensely interested in all this – perhaps he had an affinity for magic, being more than slightly empathic.

"Hell no!" Duo said with a snort. "I've nothing but baaaaad experiences with their kind."

"Can _you_ do magic?" I asked. There was something here he was avoiding, I was sure.

Ah, big hesitation there. Yeah, thought so – avoiding big time. I watched as he looked up at the ceiling and laced his fingers behind his head. Then he let out a big sigh.

"Can I answer that later? It won't make sense to you unless you know my story."

"Shoot then."

He looked startled, then understanding dawned on his face. He brought his hands down and placed them carefully on his lap. Leaning forward, his head caught the trailing rays of the sunset coming in the side window. His hair lit up with a reddish gold glow that also washed colour across his pale skin. Luminous violet eyes raised their gaze at me. He looked ethereal. Beautiful. God damn, focus here, Yuy!

"I'm an orphan. A street kid ever since I could remember. I joined the thieves guild when I was about five, 'cause I was really good at sneaking things and getting away. They were like a family, I was with them about three years. But they all died. Plague wiped out our whole chapter house in town. I survived. Was taken by a church orphanage with some other kids. Stayed there for two years. They died too, some sort of fight with some sorcerers. Father Ma......Father Maxw.......anyway I was away at the time and missed it. Got caught by one of the sorcerer, escaped. Decided to join the assassins guild – revenge and all that. They accepted me because of my thieves training. I stayed with them for nine years. Worked my way up. There are three levels. Each with a special mark. First is Red Hand – your regular type assassin. Then Black Hand – the elite and priced waaaay up there too, I might add. The last is Shadow Hand – not that any assassin's guild will admit to it even existing. They're the "assassins who kill the assassins". Like ghosts, they exist only as rumour. Anyway, I had decided to quit the guild and try something else. Tired of dealing death all the time. So I travelled a bit. I left the city where our mother-house is and was taking a nice morning bath in a stream when I was "pulled" here – to your world. That's about it."

Trowa looked at me and then back at Duo. "What level assassin were you when you left?"

"Shadow Hand. My last job was to take out the mother house. I did."

TBC

****


	5. Chapter 5

semi AU  
  
will be 1x2/2x1, some 3x4, citrus in later chapters  
  
Warning: If you don't like yaoi, don't read, no one is twisting your arm and you won't change my mind.  
  
Takes place AC 195, only four gundams are being used, Deathscythe is unpiloted as it has been deemed unmanageable after killing two pilots and making three more insane. It is semi-AI (ZERO prototype).  
  
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing belongs to Sunrise, Shotsu Agency, Bandai, and other corporations, and has been used without permission, purely for entertainment purposes and not profit.  
  
CHAPTER FIVE  
  
I couldn't sleep. I don't need much sleep anyway and can easily get by with four hours a night. But this was different. I rolled away from the wall and faced the boy who lay sleeping a short distance away from me. Boy. Youth. Man. He made me uneasy and I did not like that feeling. I did not like feeling at all, let alone that one. I stared at his immobile form. His back was to me, braid tucked neatly beside him like a cat's tail. The blanket and sheet were tangled around his legs leaving the well- formed upper torso bare. I was not used to sharing a room – being both unsociable and stubborn enough to merit one of my own.  
  
I sat up. This was not getting me anywhere. I was uneasy because he was one very dangerous person. He had been noticeably uncomfortable telling us how he had managed to kill off a mother house of more than 400 assassins. Something about many exploding devices he had made, set and used after he had garrotted the highest ranking members. Revenge, he had said. Though he didn't say for what. Something personal. I still had a gut feeling that there was more there that he was leaving out.  
  
With a sigh, I gave up trying to pretend I was going to nod off anytime soon and padded quietly over to my laptop. I pulled up the program I'd copied from the lab and started sifting through the information.  
  
"Can't sleep?" A voice asked quietly at my shoulder.  
  
I jumped. FUCK! This was getting to be a habit!  
  
"Do you know anything about this? From that guy's memories that you have?" I snapped, more than a little annoyed. I don't care if he's the assassin from hell, no one should be that silent when moving.  
  
He bent forward and peered at the screen, a look of mild puzzlement on his face.  
  
"I can read the words, but they are not triggering anything. The machine you are using – a laptop? That seems familiar."  
  
This wasn't going to help much then. But I was not about to admit to making a mistake bringing him back with us. Not yet anyway. I kept scrolling through the words, the technical stuff wasn't what I wanted, I'd leave that to our handlers to interpret. The formulas and permutations flashed by at a high rate, then I found the original project proposal. It did indeed involve searching through alternate realities for possible weapons that would be capable of countering or neutralising the Gundams.  
  
"Do you think I'm a weapon?"  
  
He'd been reading right along with me – I was impressed, there's not too many who can keep up with my speed.  
  
"Are you?" I countered.  
  
He looked at me with laughter in his eyes. "Of course!"  
  
I glared back at him – the last thing I needed was a cocky killer roommate. His smile never faded as he put his arm around my shoulder and said, "Well, Heero my friend, your weapon would feel a lot more comfortable if he was armed a bit. That is of course, if you feel I can be trusted and all. But, for your own security, if I had some decent weapons then I could take care myself and none of you would have to be burdened with that responsibility. I'm not used to having other people look after me. Makes me feel….like I owe something."  
  
He had a point. Several in fact. I just wasn't sure if I wanted him to have weapons at hand, so to speak. Maybe it was the trust issue. Or something else. I told him I would think about it. And to go back to sleep. And to take his goddamned arm off my shoulder before I ripped it off. He chuckled at my I-mean-that-in-all-seriousness threat and sedately moved toward his bed. Then he reached under his pillow and casually tossed a gun at me. I caught it mid-air. It was mine. The one I keep under my pillow.  
  
I looked at him. He did not say a word. I knew that we both understood each other in that instant. He'd demonstrated again that he had the ability and the opportunity to kill and had chosen not to. He was just waiting for my confirmation of trust.  
  
"Fine."  
  
I turned back to the laptop screen while he slid under his sheets and promptly feel into a quiet slumber. I stayed online for a while longer, but did not discover anything else of value. I powered off and lay down on my own bed. But did not sleep. I just stared. And watched. Him.  
  
************* **************** **************  
  
It was the escalators that did it. Duo had managed to keep his curiosity and surprise well controlled as the three of us – Quatre and his credit cards being our third party - clothes shopped in the mall. The crowds didn't seem to bother him at all and his enthusiasm could be disguised as that of a "country cousin's" first time visit to the big city. But the moving stairs had him entranced. He had ridden them a good four times before I'd had enough and pulled him off forcefully, calling him a fool. His eyes were still glued to that top stair disappearing into the floor, walking backwards until I yanked him into the hunting goods store that I'd found in the upper level of the mall. Once there, he stood grinning like a little kid, smile stretched a mile wide and eyes sparkling with delight.  
  
Quatre had done a good job getting nondescript clothing for our new comrade, black being Duo's predominant colour of choice. It was my job to do the weapons. After group consultation – being part of a team does have its down side – we'd agreed on arming Duo with knives as they were a weapon he was quite familiar with and, unlike a gun, would not need any instruction. I chose out one large Brusletto and two smaller ones that could be hidden in sleeves, pockets, just about anywhere. Duo picked out two more – boot knives, and a couple of sheathes for the ones I chose. He seemed pleased with my choices and had not quibbled or argued about any of them. I should have known. As I placed the knives on the counter, he reached into a pocket, pulled out a wallet and selected a credit card.  
  
When I picked my jaw off the floor and found my voice, I hissed, "What the hell do you think you are doing?"  
  
"Paying for my purchases. What do you think? Can't have Quatre pay for everything, that wouldn't be fair. I can pull my own weight!" was the slightly miffed reply.  
  
I removed the wallet, and the credit card – Marvin Hertz – handing both back to him. I pulled out Quatre's card and gave it to the clerk. He rang up the purchases and we left. I waited until we were well away from the store before pulling Duo off into one of the side alcoves to give him a piece of my mind.  
  
"Where did you get the wallet?"  
  
"Thief before assassin, remember?"  
  
"You pick-pocketed it?"  
  
"Why are you asking me this if you already know?"  
  
"You can't do that!"  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"We have to keep a low profile, you could get caught."  
  
Glare. Very pissed off glare. Rapidly turning darker glare.  
  
"Caught???" he drawled slowly, voice dropping in tone.  
  
"Where I come from, caught means dead. Do I look dead to you? Incapable? A fool?"  
  
I felt a bit guilty at that last one. Didn't say anything, though. Maybe I could make up for it by treating him to ice cream at the food court. I doubt he would have had anything like that where he came from. I directed him out into the stream of shoppers as if nothing had happened when the hairs on the back of my neck began to stand up. I always know when I'm being watched and did not ignore my body's subconscious warning…..where….who….  
  
"Heeeerooooooo!" 


End file.
